"My toddler is the same height as me thanks to sepsis amputations"

A double amputee mum who is the same height as her toddler after she lost both legs to sepsis says she "doesn't care when people stare".

Hülya Marquardt, 40, had metal pins inserted into her legs to straighten them when she was a child.

But the tissue around the pins got infected, Hülya developed sepsis and she had both legs amputated above the knees, aged 18.

Doctors said she'd live in a care home but defiant Hülya walked on her hands and used a skateboard.

At 1m tall she said "people thought I shouldn't have a child" but Hülya and husband Dennis Marquardt, 39, became parents to Rangi, now three.

Hülya said she has been able to do everything an able-bodied mother can - just "differently".

She is often stared at by strangers when they see her crawling on the ground - but says she doesn't need "pity" or "praise" for living her life independently.

Hülya, a fashion boutique owner, from Stuttgart, Germany, said: "An amputee is just another human being with strengths and weaknesses like everyone else.

"Having no legs, I am only one metre tall and this looks very different from what we conceive as 'normal' within our society.

"But it simply means that I have to do some things differently and depend on help for other things.

"When people see me crawling on the ground, they often think that there is no dignity in having to live this way.

"But I think there is always dignity in trying to lead a self-determined and independent life.

"I didn’t want my child to grow up any differently or miss out because I'm disabled.

"If I struggle or fall over it can be tough but as long as I don't hurt myself I can always laugh about it."

Hülya was born was with deformities in her legs and hands and grew up being bullied for her differences.

After surgery she could walk, but aged 17, one of the screws came loose, leading to an infection which became sepsis, and she had a double amputation.

She said: "Doctors back then also told me I’d probably always have to use an electric wheelchair because I couldn’t use a manual one with my hands.

"They thought I'd be living in a care home for my whole life."

She also got prosthetics fitted for her stumps.

She said: "Everyone around me was surprised how quickly I adapted to this new life physically and mentally.

"But I lived with a disability from a young age so I was used to adapting - I straight away told myself I just need to get on with it and make the most of it.

"If I'm now the 'half girl', I'll just have to be the 'half girl'."

She became fully independent - securing an office job and a hand-controlled car.

In 2014 she met Dennis through a mutual friend and they travelled the world together before marrying in 2018.

They bought a home together in Stuttgart and settled down and by late 2019 they found were expecting a child.

She said: "I wasn’t directly told that I shouldn’t have children but people were surprised when I told them.

"I know that some people thought I shouldn't have a child."

The expectant parents agreed not to do any disability screenings on their unborn child because they would "love the child whatever happened".

Rangi was born able-bodied weighing 7lbs14oz on May 11 2020.

When Rangi was a baby, Hülya would crawl on the ground with him and push him in a custom-made basket with wheels.

Now a toddler, he can walk and climb all by himself - making him a lot more difficult to chase, she said.

But Hülya can still handle it like any other parent by using her skateboard or walking on her hands.

"I wouldn’t be much fun if I went in my wheelchair or prosthetics," she said.

"This way, I can do everything with him like go down the slide and through tunnels.

Hülya says she doesn't let stares from strangers get her down.

She said: "I don't really care that I'm stared at and I never really did - I don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed.

"I never seen the point of restricting myself even more because of what others might think."

Dennis, a high school teacher, added: "I had to get used to the staring faces and comments - at the beginning I was really protective.

"But now I have to be like Hülya and just laugh it off.

"I have always thought she was perfect and beautiful.

"It's not a case of seeing past her disability but seeing the disability is a part of her.

"Now we have Rangi, the best thing about being a parent is that it's like our life is newly charged.

"You feel more motivated - and if a child feels loved there is a solution for everything."